Thanks mate. Excuses later.

Yeah

apropos to nothing, but funny and direct to aqoulytes subjects of interest, this email forward, purporting to be a transcript of a foreign reporter interviewing an young egyptian:

A foreign Newspaper wants to publish a report about the life in Egypt, So they send a female reporter to interview the common citizen in egypt... when she arrives at cairo..she picks a random guy, and starts her interview

Reporter:Hi
Egyptian:We 3alkom el salam ya 2otta
Reporter:Do u speak english?
Egyptian:Berfect
Reporter:Do u mind if i interview u?
Egyptian:No,i dont have a mind
Reporter:What's your name?
Egyptian:Taha
Reporter:Sex?
Taha: I love it
Reporter:oh no, i meant male or female?
Taha (yelling): what do u sink?
Reporter:Its just for the sake of the report..never mind...male....
Taha:yas male..and i can brove it any time u want
Reporter:No,thanks,I'll take u for ur word...so..how do u find life here in egypt?
Taha:Egybt..very nice cantry..nice wezar..nice food..byramidz
Reporter:oh well..beside the weather and the pyramids..what else do u like in ur country?
Taha: Byramids,nice wezar,nice food
Reporter:Ok..lets move on..what do u do?
Taha: I am very well ,sank u
Reporter:No,I mean do u have a job?
Taha(looking around him and whispering):Jobat?..no i dont have any (jobat)..lessa mastaba7nash..do u have a (job) with u?..we can smoke it in my car..dont warry about bolice
Reprter:Oh my god,DO YOU WORK?
Taha:Yas yas..Taxi drivar
Reporter:What do u think about the traffic problem in egypt?
Taha:Very big broblem..very much cars..u see?..but za guvurment is trying to make it bettar..zey did the circle street and za me7war street..and zey make all streets one way so if u go..u cant come back..niahahaha3
Reporter:What about the economic problems in Egypt?
Taha:I do not undurstand what u say
Reporter:I mean..how do u deal with money problems in egypt?
Taha: No NO NO..egybt very rich cantry...we have alot of cotton..alot of water..and we have byramidz
Reporter: So do u make a lot of money?
Taha:No no.. it is not legal to make money..one frend i know make money at home..and he go to brizon..if u make money at home..u can only give it to za banzeena man..they take any money
Reporter: let me rephrase..since Egypt is a rich country.. do u have a lot of money?
Taha:me?! ..Not alot..but I eat and drink Al7amdulelah?
Reporter:Then where does all the money go?
Taha: Guvurment
Reporter:And what does the government do with the money?
Taha:Zey Build circle street,me7war street and make all streets one way
Reporter:well , Ok...Do u vote?
Taha:What duz zat mean?
Reporter:Do u choose your president
Taha:Mubarak?
Reporter:yes
Taha(nervously): i didnt give my voice..but if i was..i will give him my voice
Reporter:Why him?
Taha:Because he was an airoplane in za war..he waz za leadar airoplane
Reporter:But there r no wars right now
Taha:But if we have war..u see?...we know we will have a very good airoplane in it
Reporter:what about the last 26 years ?
Taha:I got marry..and have 3ala2 and Amira..and drive taxi
Reporter:No,i meant what did Mubarak do for Egypt in the last 26 years
Taha:He build circle street,me7war street and make all streets one way
Reporter:Thank you very much for ur time Mr. Taha
Taha:No broblem,only 10 bounds
Reporter:I never said i will pay u for this
Taha: Ok..just give me the (job) then..we smoke ,and make head
Reporter:Grrrrrrrr
Taha:ok ok..need a Taxi?

dawud: that's the same caliber as the stories my grandfather passes around about Texans. bravo.

not that it applies to anything on Aqoul, but do any of the other abused readers or abusive authors have experience with Institutional Review Boards at universities and other publicly funded institutions? It seems that now even creative writing falls under the jurisdiction of the IRB at many universities.

Aargh. WINEP is basically a right-wing, pro-Israel think-tank, right? Can't keep the alphabet soup sorted out.

tom -- yes, i think so, more or less. but i read a seriously good report by them a while ago, on southern iraq/shia politics. that one was nonpartisan & professional, as i remember it, so don't let their politics scare you off.

alle - well, they're advertising for editors, so I think it will scare me off, since I'd be almost certain to end up working on a manuscript i despised within a month.

Technorati is telling me that this picture is making the rounds of the blog o sphere. Anyone have the original context/article it was attached to?

Tom:

http://www.aqoul.com/archives/2005/08/internet_foragi_1.php

Coincidentally, I did a quick search for that photo URL on google. it's ALL OVER THE FREAKING PLACE. E: you've got some major leaching going on.

Sanity returns to US affairs little by little. NYT article on Khalilzad. Would like a little comment from the know-it-alls here on the Hariri tribunal decision. Quote:

In the first major test of his influence this past month, Mr. Khalilzad pushed for a vote on a resolution creating an international tribunal to judge suspects in the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri, despite warnings that acting now could inflame the already volatile politics of Lebanon.

drdougfir: I probably wasn't elevating the discourse, sure, but in my defense, I had just spent over a week in Cairo, most of the time arguing and being ripped off by 'Taha's just like the one in the fake interview. And it has, beyond the immediate cheap humor, a few valid points to make about Egypt and citizen/state relations, which is why an Egyptian friend was forwarding it around... and aqoul does seem like the kind of place to make cheap jokes about MENA, although trying to get at why the cheap jokes are funny would definitely be more worthwhile.

This one's hilarious, Sarkozy drunk at the G8 summit after a discussion with Vlad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd44XTlUQjQ

A quick translation of what Sarko's saying:

Ladies and gentlemen, excuse me for this delay resulting from... Ahem... the length of the dialogue that I've had with Mister Poutine. [pause, heavy breathing] What do you prefer, that I answer questions? So, are there questions?...[retains laugh] Yeah yeah, eh, yeah. [heavy breathing]

Bit early to go Yeltzin-style, that. Must be how Putin conducts negotiations, with vodka. How's Sarkozy been so far?

So hey, secretd, how is the hurricane going? Or did it miss you completely?

I'm very happy to see Denmark referred to as Porno Land in this Tory Map. A bit unfair on the Tories, but what the hey.

Been reading lots of articles on new US pressure on international banks doing business with Iran and threats to make their lives difficult in the US if the do so - could L or someone else explain just how they'd do this, impose taxes or restrictions on the banks' US business for their dealings with evil?

Ron Paul, what do you all have to say about his recent comments at the Republican debates on true libertarianism, non-interventionism (militarily, at any rate) and fiscal monetary policy, as below:

Bush on Financial policy
http://youtube.com/watch?v=A4kxTkhwR_Q
Bush on the Federal Reserve, banking and the economy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji_G0MqAqq8&NR=1
On Bush's pro-war ideology and non-interventionism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZmPS0XmeBw&mode=related&search=

Great map. I like how all the north of England was replaced with the M1. And check out Nicaragua.

I kind of like Portugal's placement(s) on that map.

Ron Paul is a silly inbred isolationist, which of course makes him a whole lot more sensible than the rest of the Republican primary candidates.

My feeling is that I'd vote for Paul over at least some Democratic nominees because (1) the things he can affect as President, mainly foreign and military policy, he's pretty good on, or at least a corrective to current destructive policies and (2) the things he's bat-shit loony about, are mostly in congress's hands anyway. He's also one of the most likely of presidents to voluntarily give up some of the authority claimed by the current admin.

Not that he has any kind of a chance at the Republican nomination, of course.

He's also one of the most likely of presidents to voluntarily give up some of the authority claimed by the current admin.

True, probably the only one. I don't believe The Roman Republic was ever reinstated after it became The Roman Empire. Speaking of which.

"Ron Paul, what do you all have to say about his recent comments at the Republican debates on true libertarianism, non-interventionism ..."

{Add the appropriate cadences of Monty Python's "spam" sketch:}

I love it. I'm voting Paul, Paul, Paul, Paul, Paul & Paul.

There's also a good chance he would reduce the US military budget. Maybe Edwards would too, I'm not sure though. But neither Obama nor Hillary would.

He also said this in 1992: "our country is being destroyed by a group of actual and potential terrorists -- and they can be identified by the color of their skin."

and, asserting that "complex embezzling" is "100% white and Asian;" and noting that young black male muggers are "unbelievably fleet-footed."

so that's very libertarian.

Will someone correct both idiots? I'm tired.

I would, but I'm washing my hair tonight.

He also said this in 1992: "our country is being destroyed by a group of actual and potential terrorists -- and they can be identified by the color of their skin."

and, asserting that "complex embezzling" is "100% white and Asian;" and noting that young black male muggers are "unbelievably fleet-footed."

so that's very libertarian.

A good lesson in why never to use a ghostwriter.

I can offer my Canadian support for Paul's opposition to Bush without believing (or even recognizing) his views on crime and America's racial divides are worthy of recognition. He has said interesting and amusing things about Bush and America's foreign policy, and having someone up on stage to shame Giuliani ("9/11" et iterata) and the rest of the Republican fools, pardon, leadership is a *good thing*...

As for America dealing with it's racial issues, uh... systematically avoiding them through the use of narcotics and "COPS" - the TV show and the cultural divide of not really addressing racial concerns, just sort of feeling uncomfortable while patting oneself on the back about how well-integrated we all are - means never really dealing with your problems.

Kind of like Saudi Arabia and Turkey in that way, two countries I've seen ignore their racial problems in the same way... "nice sand this is, really. when you've buried your head in it, it does really feel quite good on the back of your neck. calming and tranquil, good quality grains..."

Something on peak oil, and the suggestion that the Gulf countries lie about their reserves. Any comments?

klaus: duh.

can anyone top that?

Who says the US doesn't take peak oil seriously? What was that to-do in Iraq all about?

No, Iraq was...uh...I forgot. Got sprinkled with amnesia dust.

Anyway. Apparently Hitchens is a flaming idiot. Hands up, those who knew.

Todd was rather foolish or downright inconsiderate if he got Tunisians pointing at the ceiling as he describes.

didn't we all know that about hitchens already?

and, as for iraq, the us military simply had an excess stockpile of weapons they had to use before the expiration date.

I recall this guy's flaring nostrils and rolling eyes have been admired before on `Aqoul, in connection with the cartoon riots, but I can't find the post.

hm, I think that was a new month thread, with a caption contest for that picture.

He's the Willie Horton for Islamophobes.

O ye well-read and wise, a question. I'm looking for a good, comprehensive book on the PLO, its history, leadership and organizational structure, etc. Not Palestine and Israel in general, and not the PLO's approach to the Oslo process or whatever, but simply the PLO -- something I can buy and keep for reference. It need not be released last year, but being up-to-date at least past 1993 is a big plus.

I skimmed through at least parts of Barry Rubin's book, ages ago, and remember finding it rather partial to Israel and so-so in general (if I'm wrong about this, tell me). Most of what else I can find online seems hopelessly biased pro- or anti, and I'm not interested in Arafat hagiographies either. Strong opinions are not a problem, however, if all the facts are in place.

All reviews, of books good or bad, are welcome. Perhaps especially warnings of the bad ones.